The Project

Colleville-sur-Mer

The project was initiated through my participation in Normandy, France June 6 2004 at the 60-year commemoration of the D-Day.

I came as close to President George W. Bush as it was possible when he held his speech at the American Military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer. I was stopped at coming closer by the riding French police, but we could hear the voice of Bush and some fragments of his message. This was as close as I made it this day. The next day I entered the cemetery and worked the whole day taking photos of the thousands of white marble headstones and the ambience resting over the place.

The photos taken that day on the cemetery at “Colleville-sur-Mer” will show you the dimensions the civil losses can have, and the meaningless glory it is to die in a war.

The American headstone

The white military marble headstone will in this project symbolise lost civilian lives and lives to be lost in the terrible act of terrorism.

When focusing on the American military headstone as an artistic measure my intention is to create a consistent link between terrorism and the American political and military behaviour since the Second World War.

From the Italian supplier and manufacturer of crosses to the American military cemetery I received an original headstone to my project. The headstone was shipped and delivered in a wooden box. Opening the wooden box and looking down at the headstone gave me a feeling of being at a burial of this strong traditional symbol. I have now made 28 copies of this headstone in a lighter material for my performances and installations.

Mobile cemetery

The nerve of this project is to exhibit an American Military cemetery. It will consist of 25 white copies of the original Italian headstone. The cemetery will be exhibited as a performance in eight chosen capitals and major cities in Europe, including those of the six main European countries participating in the war in Iraq. This is scheduled to take place during spring and summer 2005.

The cemetery is to be put up and exhibited in an urban environment symbolizing an American Military cemetery. I want the headstones to be an ultimate and strong visual image of the growing terrorism. Terrorism is striking cities and centres where the heaviest concentration of innocent people lives. Terrorism is most effective when killing children, women and old ones. No one is secure. YOUR beloved ones can be among the next victims of this growing act of violence.